Nowa Nowa was a big logging and
timber milling
area in days gone by. These activities have been scaled back
over
the years however a few examples of the technology can be seen easily
with a roadside stop at Mingling Waters Cafe in Nowa Nowa.

There
is also a small museum inside the cafe that is worth a look as well.
A small fee is charged for admission. Its is quite
evocative of the people's fascination with rtees and wood, the previous
life blod of the community.

These were not easy jobs and the toughness and resilience of these
people must be admired.

Wood
and Steam

These
machines are just a glimpse of what was used to fell the mighty trees
and
fashion them into marvels like the Tressle Bridge.

This
is a steam engine in the true sense of the word, not a steam
locomotive. It would have been a portable power source that
could have been dragged around the local district to power all sorts of
tools, but ripping local logs to size with huge rotating saws
immediately springs to mind.

This
is a simple design but very rugged and no problems with the tyres on
wheels going flat or punctured!! It must have been hard work
on any sort of soft ground.

What
a Bridge!! A marvel to see . A reminder of a
technology
that did not last, though it has survived a lot longer than
some
sections of freeway in Melbourne. It would have been amazing
to
see a fully steamed up locomotive heading across this bridge.
Keep an eye out for the signs just before your get
to Nowa
Nowa from Lakes Entrance. The made roadway in the foreground
is
the cycle path between Bairnsdale and Nowa Nowa.
This
is the real alternative way to see the bridge, cycle to it.